At least 124 people killed as plane crashes while landing at South Korea airport

The National Fire Agency now says it has recovered 124 bodies from the crash.

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A plane carrying 181 on board has crashed at an airport in the south west of South Korea.

The National Fire Agency now says it has recovered 124 bodies from the crash.

Of those, 54 are identified as male and 57 are female. An additional 13 bodies were unable to be gendered.

So far, 1,562 personnel have been deployed to help in recovery effort, including 490 fire department employees and 455 police officers, according to the agency.

The accident happened shortly after 09:00 local time – 00:00 GMT – when the plane landed at Muan International Airport.

Footage appearing to show the crash, which has not yet been verified, shows the aircraft skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall, before part of it bursts into flames.

The Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, was returning from Bangkok in Thailand and crashed as it was landing.

Two people have been found alive so far and rescue operations are still under way.

The passengers on board the flight included 173 South Koreans and two Thais, Yonhap reported.

Worst aviation accident in South Korea

This crash is unusual for South Korea, which has had a good flight safety record in recent years.

If the death toll is confirmed, this will be the worst aviation accident to have ever happened on South Korean soil.

It also appears to be the only fatal crash that Jeju Air has had in its nearly 20 year history.

Jeju Air is Korea’s most popular budget airline, flying to dozens of destinations domestically and across Asia.

The company’s chief executive said at a news conference earlier the airline had no history of accidents. He apologised to the victims’ families.

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